After attending a forum hosted by The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) yesterday and an information session with keynote speaker from The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC this morning), I believe we can be cautiously optimistic here in NL! It’s good info to share with my clients and followers so here it goes! :) It's my 1st time doing this so don't be too hard on me!

This time last year I blogged about how me and my Irishman met... "our story" if you will. Ours is a story that different and fun; I am so happy to say it's one that has a happily ever after attached to it! On September 9th, 2017, we said "I do". I have never been happier. Married life is great and while a huge amount hasn't changed for us, I believe we both have that extra sense of security and comfort. He's my "person" and I'm his.
So in this day and age when divorces are at an all time high, what keeps couples together? What keeps a partnership strong? In our relationship it's "not sweating the small stuff". We don't argue over the mundane; if its not super important, why argue? Its just not worth it! Let it go! Don't "stir it till it stinks"! When there's a degree of give and take in a relationship... things just work better! Smoother sailing= a happy life!
Keep having fun together!! Let your silly side out, relax together, cook together, clean together etc.; appreciate your partner for anything he or she does, even if its not done perfectly. A person will almost always do more than expected if they feel appreciated!
I like little rituals, like Friday take out, or the way we always pause so I can say the blessing over our meal or our good morning kiss before "bae" heads out the door! Variety can be the spice of life but little routines establish a deep connection too. 
"I'm a newlywed" you say, "Wait another 10 years"! Maybe so... but I believe that positive things like this, combined with honesty, respect and love will carry us the distance! Happy Valentines day all you cats and kittens! 

This will be mine and Patrick's 1st Christmas in our "new to us" home! To say we are super excited is an understatement! Since we have been together as a couple, we have spent 1 Christmas apart and 2 Christmases together (In my home town in Labrador). Similarly, we have done 2 New Years with his relatives in Toronto. This Christmas, we are putting our feet up by the fire and my folks are coming to us! 

There will be Christmas outings to look at lights around the city, we will partake in a Christmas gatherings at friends homes and go on excursions to various Christmas events around town but mostly and indeed what we are looking forward to the most is a little bit of downtime, where we can watch Christmas movies together, sip Bailey's Irish Cream and coffee, enjoy family games nights and just relax and enjoy the very best of the season.

Last weekend we got things started by putting up the tree and decorating the inside of our home! As many of you will know, its been a busy year of renovations, followed by our wedding so its a pretty sweet feeling for us to have our tree up and mantel decorated in our lovely new living room! Heres a few snaps of our progress!

Untangling the Christmas lights... my most hated task! If someone has a "less tangly" way of storing lights maybe comment on the blog/ post so we can all benefit!

Coffee... a must for when you are up to your ears in decorations!

Patrick was a skilled and patient tree lights installer... we even have a switch that was specially installed by him so that we don't have to slither under the tree to try to plug in and unplug! For those of you who don't have a switch, Canadian Tire and Bed Bath and Beyond sell remote controls that you can install with your lights for easy on and off- its brilliant!

So excited to have a mantel this year to decorate! The fireplace really makes our house a home. Since this picture was taken, our stockings are now hung on the mantel with care! 

I decorated my sideboard in the dining area as well! I love the pre lit garland; if you are looking for some, you can find various styles at Michaels! My Scentsy burner is filled with wax pods that smell like Christmas trees and the big bowl that you can just barely see is filled with Lindor chocolates- our FAV!

Our tree! I just love snowballs and snowflakes and our tree has both in abundance! I have sentimental ornaments- gifts from close friends and family on the tree as well... each with their own memory attached. The little snow people will stay there until Santa arrives and replaces them with presents!

I've had cup of Barry's Tea (an Irish favourite) and a slice of partridgeberry pie by the tree every day since we put it up! Our local Colemans sells both! There is just something so cosy about reminiscing by the tree when the snow is falling gently outside. Its a feeling that can't be beat!

From our home to yours: enjoy this holiday season to the fullest! Take the time away from the hustle and bustle of stores and shopping and Christmas craziness to enjoy your home, your decorating and a scattered cup of tea by your tree too! Take lots of snaps and make memories with each other! 

Something that I come across a fair bit in my day-to-day life is negativity. Negativity about the real estate market, negativity regarding the weather, negativity even about how I go about listing/ marketing a property. I would be lying if I said it didn't ever affect me; it does sometimes.

As far as it goes, I'm a pretty positive and happy human! I always try to look at the glass as being half full. I try to see the silver lining in the clouds of grey but every now and then someone really just "gets my goat"!

What can we do when we find ourselves in those situations?

A.) Don't give in. A gentle, yet firm reminder to the person or people that you are dealing with that they need to jump on board the positivity train with you sometimes works. Especially if you are trying to work with them and they are bringing you down!

B.) Hear what they are saying but bring your own valid "sunny-side-up" points to the table and work hard to make sure you stand by them, do a good job and wow them with your winning attitude, positivity, persistency and a job well done!

C.) If nothing can be done to win the person/ people over, unfortunately it may be time to cut ties with that person and move on. Life is too short to be surrounded by people that bring you down and constantly rain on your parade. Wish them well and be on your way. 

Thats my little wisdom nugget on this autumn Sunday! You can take it to the bank!

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

SNOW on the May 24th long weekend... how sad and depressing is that? I was feeling it.

SADD is a real thing and though I am not overly familiar with the statistics for Newfoundland and Labrador I'm sure there must be others who live here who feel like me! CBC reports here that 2-6% of Canadians 8 times more likely in women. Take a listen:  www.cbc.ca/player/play/855836739981/

I'm generally a pretty happy-go-lucky person and so I don't like feeling blue and so I have researched some ways to combat the effects of SADD! Here are some things that I have found helpful, hopefully you will find them helpful too! 

1. Maximize your exposure to daylight.Make your house brighter—trim the bushes around your windows and keep your blinds and curtains open during the day. Use bright colors on walls and light-colored upholstery. Get up early to take advantage of as much daylight as possible. If possible, sit near a window at work.

2. Engage in activities that you enjoy.

Take some time off in the winter, instead of using all of your vacation time during the summer. Volunteer or participate in activities that make you happy. Spend time with friends and family members who are caring, supportive, and positive.

3. Practice healthy habits.

Exercise, get enough sleep, eat a well-balanced diet, and reduce stress. Spend time outdoors if possible—skiing is an excellent way to get lots of light and exercise in the winter. Practice good sleep hygiene and make time to relax. Eat healthy foods for more energy and limit caffeine.

4. Take all medicines as directed. 

Talk to your health care provider about prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and diet supplements (including vitamin D), as well as any herbs you take. Follow directions carefully and watch for interactions and side effects. Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs.

5. Consider light therapy.

There are several devices available—from battery-powered visors, portable light boxes and special light bulbs, to dawn simulators (lamps that switch on before dawn and gradually light your room, like the sun rising)—but be cautious and talk to your health care provider before trying light therapy.

Whatever the case may be for you. if you think that you are affected by SADD you should talk to your doctor about it and follow his or her lead. Lets take the winter/spring blues by the icicles next season and show them that we are going to be happy and healthy no matter what!

As February has been coined the month of love... I thought I would share a little bit of a personal real estate story! One that ends with a "happily ever after"! Mine!

It was in the Autumn of 2014... I had been single for about 2 years and truly enjoying life. I was finally coming into my own... honing my new business (real estate) and just really enjoying my life. I was not looking for a relationship and I wasn't even dating that much. I was AOK with that! It was during this 2 year period that I truly discovered who I was, what made me "tick' and I discovered I was happy to be in my own company. I will forever believe that you cannot be truly happy with someone else until you are first happy with yourself!

It was on a beautiful September morning when I met Patrick. It was a Friday morning; he had called the day before and asked to see a property that I had listed on Waterfordbridge Road. I was meeting him there at 9AM. I was unlocking the door to the property when he pulled into the driveway. I gave a little wave as he was pulling in and as I struggled with the door. When I looked up, I saw him get out of his truck, it was like  was hit by a giant arrow sent straight from Cupid himself!!! Some folks say they don't believe in love at first sight- well I didn't either until I met Patrick!

I tried to play it cool and participate in every day conversation with him but I was having some trouble focusing!!! I thought he was so handsome. He was very knowledgable... and he had the kindest eyes I had  ever seen and definitely the best accent (Irish)!

To my disappointment, he didn't make an offer on my listing that day BUT we did set up several more viewings of various properties in the area and for the next week or so we were flat out everyday, looking at them all! It was the highlight of my day, to meet up with him and  to show him a few places! Little did i know he had a crush on me too!

Eventually, we found him a property and we went through the offer process, which was a great deal of fun! We met for coffee, signed our paperwork and sometimes that would turn into an hour of chatting! The girls at the office would always tease me and say "now, now Sherry make sure to keep it professional" and obviously, being the type of person I am (a real worry wart about everything), I was be so completely determined to keep every single detail of our dealings 100% kosher! When I think back now, it truly must have been funny to watch!

On closing day, Patrick and I said we would celebrate with a meal at a local downtown restaurant! We met up, enjoyed delicious pizzas, toasted his new property, which he would be flipping and enjoyed hours of great conversation, laughing and getting to know each another; that was our first date! <3

We have had countless date nights since, lots of travels to places like Spain and Jamaica and adventures to his home country of Ireland. We have shared Christmases, birthdays, snow days, fishing trips, couch potato nights, flu seasons, renovations, tears, laughs and so much JOY. I can honestly say we complete each other.

In October of 2016- just a little over 2 years since we met that September day. My Irishman, as I affectionately call him, asked me to marry him! I said yes! We are now in the business of wedding planning! With a date set of September 9th 2017! It might in fact, even be the anniversary of the date that I met him- I'll have to check that out!

So there you have it, my very own real estate fairytale, with a bit of a Valentines Day twist tucked in! This is my favourite blog post I have written so far- hope you enjoy it too!

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Did you ever wonder why we carve pumpkins for Halloween? On door steps of homes around this city and all throughout the province and country, this time of year is a time to showcase our talents through the means of pumpkin carving! All kinds of jack-o'-lantern- spooky ones, funny ones, creative ones, pumpkins turned into different fictional characters, some that are painted, some that are stacked and some that are just left au naturel! 
The history of Halloween as we know it is based on an ancient Celtic holiday known as Samhain. Celebrated at the end of summer, Samhain was a time to honor the deceased. Celts believed that from dusk on October 31 until the dusk of November 1, souls of those who had died that year would pass on, meaning it was also when ghosts would be most present. To ward away evil spirits, people placed jack-o'-lanterns on porches and in windows. Their creations were made from carved turnips, beets, or potatoes with burning lumps of coal inside them to add light.
The jack-o'-lantern is believed to have originated from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who played tricks on everyone. When he died, Jack was denied entry into both heaven and hell and was forced to roam the world as a ghost who carried a lantern made from a carved turnip.
Irish immigrants brought Halloween to America during the 1800s. When these settlers arrived in the United States, they discovered that pumpkins make perfect jack-o'-lanterns. Today, pumpkin carving remains synonymous with Halloween. In fact, the majority of the 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins grown in the United States each year are sold for Halloween. Pumpkin carving is also popular in Ireland, England, and other parts of Europe. Here is a place you can go to get free pumpkin patterns for yourself to help you with your pumpkin carving this year! www.pumpkinpile.com/all-patterns.html